EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - April 18, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MINSK 000427 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON BO SUBJECT: EMBASSY MINSK WEEKLY REPORT - April 18, 2006 MINSK 00000427 001.3 OF 004 ¶1. The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy Minsk. -------------- Post Elections -------------- ¶2. Milinkevich in Germany Former 10+ Coalition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich on an April 7 trip to Berlin met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler, Head of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee Rupert Polenz, and the Christian Democratic Union. ¶3. Chernobyl March Planned Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Viktor Ivashkevich on April 7 told independent news source Belapan that there was "no point" in asking authorities for permission to stage the annual opposition march Charnobylski Shlyakh (Path of Chernobyl) in downtown Minsk on April 26. However, on April 11, the organizers applied for permission to stage a 1000- person march, but vowed it would happen with or without the authorities' permission. In a written appeal on his website, Milinkevich urged the public to gather on October Square on April 26 to protest the GOB's policies regarding the Chernobyl accident. ¶4. Rewards for Pro-Lukashenko Pop Stars Lukashenko on April 10 awarded the Francisk Skaryna Order to pop singers who performed at his "For Belarus" re-election campaign concerts. Awards went to Nadezhda Babkina and Nikolai Baskov of Russia, Nikolai Gnatyuk of Ukraine, Anatoly Yarmolenko of Belarus, and Belarusian composer Vasily Rainchik and conductor Mikhail Finberg. Belarusian singer Anzhelika Agurbash was given the Honored Artist of the Republic of Belarus award. ¶5. Demonstration In Front of Russian Embassy On April 16, over 100 people staged a 30-minute demonstration near the Russian Embassy to protest Moscow's support of Lukashenko. The demonstration also marked the Day of Solidarity, which recognizes imprisoned activists and remembers disappeared opposition members and their families. Demonstrators stood silent holding candles while security services watched. The demonstration disbanded without police interference. ¶6. Prosecutor Denies Abuse of Journalists The Minsk Prosecutor's Office on April 17 denied authorities violated the rights of journalists detained during the March 21- 24 street protests. According to the Prosecutor's Office, journalists were immediately supplied with hot meals and beds and their relatives notified of their arrest. The statement was a response to the Belarusian Association of Journalists' (BAJ) complaint that journalists were abused. According to a BAJ legal expert, the Prosecutor's reply was identical to the Minsk City Police Department's response to the same complaint. Journalists who were detained and released could only laugh at the Prosecutor's reply. ¶7. Protest Against Nuclear Power Plant Environmentalists and activists of several NGOs on April 19 in Bangalore Square plan to protest GOB plans to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Belarus. Spokesperson for the anti-NPP campaign Marina Korovai said demonstrators would urge the GOB to use energy efficient technologies and renewable sources instead of nuclear energy. She and her fellow activists call "safe" and "clean" nuclear power a myth. The demonstration comes on the heels of PM Sergei Sidorsky's April 17 announcement that the GOB was seriously considering building an NPP in Belarus. The Minsk authorities gave permission to hold the demonstration. -------------- Human Rights -------------- ¶8. Committee for Support of Political Victims By April 7, over 100 people applied for assistance from the committee for political victims, spearheaded by 10+ Coalition candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich's wife Inna Kulei. Most applicants are students who were expelled from Belarusian universities before and following the elections. With the committee's help, these students would be able to continue MINSK 00000427 002 OF 004 their education in Lithuania, Slovakia, or Poland. The committee also provides material assistance and legal and medical aid to families of jailed opposition activists. ¶9. Judge Throws Out Lebedko's Slander Suit On April 10, a Minsk District Judge threw out leader of the United Civic Party Anatoly Lebedko's slander suit against the state-owned Belarusian Television Network (BT). Lebedko filed the suit against BT for remarks in its propaganda film "The Theory of Conspiracy. The Managed Chaos," which showed footage of Lebedko in a conversation with Georgian MPs accompanied by a voiceover of Lebedko allegedly planning to "bring a mad crowd to the streets" and would not "stop at thousands of victims." Lebedko was seeking USD 465,000 in damages until the judge ruled that BT's voiceover was similar to the content of the actual conversation between Lebedko and the MPs and, therefore, did not defame the politician. ¶10. Investigation Into Journalist Beating A Minsk District Court on April 10 opened an investigation into the security services' March 2 beating of Komsomolskaya Pravda journalist Oleg Ulevich. Ulevich was beaten after taking pictures of police arresting opposition activists outside the Oktyabrsky police station. He was later hospitalized with a concussion and broken nose. Those responsible for Ulevich's beating would be charged with "causing bodily harm with intent" and could serve up to three years in jail. Ulevich, however, believes that all officers will be cleared of wrongdoing. ¶11. Activist On Hunger Strike, Five Protesters Jailed Conservative Christian Party (CCP) activist Anatoly Kulik of Novopolotsk on April 8 went on a hunger strike to protest Lukashenko's inauguration and security services' violence. He plans to continue the strike for two weeks. Meanwhile, a Minsk judge sentence five CCP activists to jail for participating in an April 7 Minsk demonstration protesting Lukashenko's re- election. Deputy chairman of the CCP Yury Belenky, Ilya Shimansky and Vladimir Nikolayev were sentence to 15 days and Eduard Bodiy and Vladimir Bogach were sentenced to 10 days. ¶12. Murdered Journalist's Son Given Suspended Sentence A Minsk district judge on April 11 sentenced Anton Filimonov, the 16-year-old son of murdered journalist Veronika Cherkasova, to a suspended prison term of 2.5 years with two years probation for counterfeiting. Filimonov's three friends were given the same sentence. All four boys admitted to making fake banknotes and buying cigarettes with them, but claimed they did it to test the performance of their computer equipment and not for profit. They are not allowed to travel abroad and could serve time in prison should they break another law while on probation. Filimonov was arrested on December 27 and only released on bail on March 13. According to his relatives, during his detention authorities repeatedly tried to force Filimonov to confess to killing his mother. ¶13. Fugitive Businessman Captured Minsk police on April 8 captured fugitive businessman Nikolai Avtukhovich after being on the run for more than two months. Avtukhovich was arrested on October 14 for allegedly failing to pay USD 315,000 in taxes for his taxi business. He said his case was politically motivated and immediately went on a hunger strike. In December, he was moved to house arrest because his weakened condition prevented him from standing for more than a couple of minutes at a time. He escaped on February 9, the first day of his trial. ¶14. Flash Mob Arrested Plainclothes riot police on April 12 arrested 12 members of a flash mob who gathered in downtown Minsk to release balloons with portraits of Lukashenko in protest to his re-election. The event was announced on the internet, thereby alerting the police who were waiting for the mob at the site. ¶15. Six Years For Graffiti Authorities on April 17 opened a criminal case against youth opposition activist Artur Finkevich for "grave hooliganism" resulting from his January arrest for spray-painting anti- Lukashenko graffiti on buildings. If convicted, Finkevich could face up to six years in jail. Activist Boris Goretsky told Belapan that Finkevich was in a pre-trial detention center while authorities gathered evidence. According to Goretsky, prosecutors plan to blame Finkevich for numerous graffiti, many which are not his and some dating back to 2001, allegedly totaling USD 16,000 in damages. MINSK 00000427 003 OF 004 ¶16. Kozulin Demonstration Crashed by Neo-Nazis A group of 15 skinheads attacked three supporters of jailed presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin who were staging a demonstration on April 17 at Bangalore Square. The skinheads shouted, "Lukashenko is our president" and "Kozulin is a criminal" as they tore the supporters' banners, burned their leaflets, and destroyed a stand displaying Kozulin's image. The skinheads left when police were called. -------------- Economy -------------- ¶17. GOB Transforms Nine State Companies To Joint-Stock Ventures The GOB on April 7 announced it would transform nine federal- controlled state enterprises and 30 local government-controlled enterprises into stock corporations. As of January 1, there were 4,636 stock corporations in Belarus, including 1,818 public stock corporations and 2,818 close corporations, with the state owning 68.5 percent of the total stock. Only 270 stock corporations have no state-owned shares. ¶18. Average Pay Down in 2006 The Ministry of Statistics and Analysis on April 7 announced that real average pay dropped 8.1 percent from USD 261.2 in December to USD 244.2 in February. Consumer prices, however, increased 1.5 percent in the same time period. [Comment: A reason for this decrease is that the GOB raised salaries sharply in December to get good end-of-the-year numbers. It is not a sign of impending collapse.] ¶19. Lukashenko With Lebanese Bankers Lukashenko on April 11 in Minsk met with the president of the Lebanese bank group Fransabank Adnan Kassar to discuss economic cooperation, including Fransabank investments in Belarus' economy and joint projects. Kassar said the high revenue the Middle East accumulated due to high oil prices needed to be invested in countries with economic and political stability, such as Belarus. Lukashenko commented that Belarus was eager to work with rich foreign investors to carry out joint projects in third countries. -------------- International Relations -------------- ¶20. GOB Denies Polish Diplomat Was Beaten To Death According to the Ministry of the Interior on April 7, the Grodno police did not receive any reports that the 63-year-old Polish Vice Consul Ryszard Badon-Lehr was assaulted. Badon- Lehr was found March 22 unconscious in his Grodno apartment with bruises on his body and traces of an electric shocker. The diplomat later died on March 25 in a hospital in Poland after undergoing surgery for a brain hematoma. The Ministry of the Interior determined Badon-Lehr had died from a stroke in the hospital. Polish authorities have begun an investigation. ¶21. Doctors Deny Former Polish Ambassador Beaten On Minsk 7, doctors at Minsk's First Clinical Hospital claimed Polish Ambassador Mariusz Maszkiewicz had no bruises on his body when admitted to the hospital. Maszkiewicz was arrested on March 24 on October Square when security forces razed the tent city the opposition youth had erected. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail, but two days later he was taken to the hospital after suffering chest pains. Maszkiewicz claims security forces beat him while detained. ¶22. China Wants Greater Cooperation Chief of the People's Liberation Army of China Liang Guanglie on April 11 in Beijing told visiting Chief of Belarus' armed forces Sergey Gurulev that both countries should maintain friendly military relations, deepen cooperation, and increase exchanges. Guanglie noted the countries' long-term stability, mutual trust, and coordination and their strategic coordination on international affairs. Gurulev added that Belarus would support China's national reunification (with Taiwan) and hoped to enhance cooperation among the armed forces. ¶23. Syria and Belarus Good Friends During the third session of the Joint Syria-Belarus Committee for Technical and Economic Cooperation in Damascus on April 12, the Belarusian Minister of Economy Nikolai Zaichenko called MINSK 00000427 004 OF 004 Syria a "strategic partner," noted historical ties linking the two "friendly" countries, and hoped the committee meetings would increase their economic ties. Zaichenko expressed Belarus' interest in increasing trade and building investment projects and cited the commodities and services it was giving Syria. Syrian Minister of Economy Amer Lutfi claimed his government was ready to boost economic and political ties with Belarus. ¶24. Iranian Delegation To Arrive In Minsk The MFA on April 12 announced that an Iranian delegation led by Commerce Minister Masud Mir-Kazemi is scheduled to arrive in Minsk on April 19-22 to take part in the seventh session of the Belarusian-Iranian Commission for Economic Cooperation. The delegation is expected to hold talks with MP Sidorsky, Industry Minister Anatoly Rusetsky, and Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov. Issues to be discussed include bilateral trade, economic and investment ties, culture, science, education and healthcare. ¶25. Clinton Bench at Kurapaty Damaged Again On April 12, BelaPan reported that the Clinton Bench, a granite monument donated by former President Clinton in 1994 and located at the Kurapaty Stalin-era massacre site outside of Minsk, was vandalized. In 2001, unidentified persons vandalized the bench, resulting in it being replaced in 2002. The replacement included a bronze wreath as a symbol of Belarus' repentance for failing to save the monument from being vandalized. In November 2005, vandals removed the bench's granite slab from its concrete supports and splashed paint on it. An investigation into the incident was suspended for lack of evidence. In the latest attack, someone stole the bronze wreath. The Ministry of Culture on April 14 said the GOB was not obliged to protect objects on government-protected property. ¶26. Belarus Returns Ambassador to Warsaw Belarusian Ambassador to Poland Pavel Latushko returned to Warsaw on April 14 after completing nearly three weeks of consultations. Latushko was recalled to Minsk on March 31 amid a row over the detainment of a former Polish Ambassador and the death of the Polish Vice Consul. Poland's designated ambassador to Belarus, Henryk Litwin, who was appointed in mid- February, remains in Poland until further notice. -------------- Miscellaneous -------------- ¶27. Many New Doctors Assigned To Chernobyl Zone The Ministry of Health on April 7 announced that 95 percent of all doctor positions in state healthcare institutions (except dental clinics) were filled by late 2005. Of the 1,646 medical students expected to graduate in 2006, 320 are to be assigned to the Chernobyl-affected area. The average monthly wage for medical staff is USD 246 and USD 103 for recent graduates. ¶28. Lithuania Stops Transmitting Belarus TV Lithuania's cable companies on April 13 stopped transmitting Belarus TV, a satellite version of the state-owned Belarusian television (BT) network because of the program's "misinformation" about Lithuania and the European Union. Deputy chairman of the Radio and Television Commission Audrius Matonis said the move was to maintain the state's self respect. The Belarusian MFA condemned the move as a violation of bilateral agreements. -------------- Quote of the Week -------------- ¶29. On an April 14 trip to Grodno, Lukashenko denied rumors of poor health and claimed he was not taking medication: "That is why it is useless for anyone to create some kind of sensation out of this. Do not worry, I will stay alive. Nothing was and is being done without the President's knowledge, including the liquidation of the gay blue encampments [Tent city razing on March 24]. The situation in our country was and is under my full control. We are forming the government and designing its new structure." PHLIPOT